Beaune

Wednesday was chill out day for us (necessary after being on the move for two weeks). This was the first day of our trip that I didn't wear my warm brown boots - Yay! We ambled along the streets of Beaune, took Nanna naps, ate a very simple dinner of ingredients from the Deli - Terrine, ham, cheese, baguette & a burgundy red wine.

Thursday (today) was a little more active, but not a lot. Beaune is a fortified town with a population around the size of Armidale. It is known was the Capital of Burgandy and has sooo many restaurants (several with Michelin stars & prices to match) and wine shops every which way you turn. The map below shows the town is encircled by a boulevard. All streets within the boulevard are cobbled & one-way. Our apartment is towards the centre of the map, so we are very well situated.


Stepping out - no coat, no boots!

Coffee time

Beaune town map

 

After a couple of excellent coffees (no need to ask for double shots here!) and a croque-monsieur, which we shared, we visited the Hotel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune). The hospice was founded in 1443 as a hospital for the poor and was a real highlight for both of us. It is an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Beaune.

Hostel courtyard

Hostel infirmary

The infirmary had beds on both sides with a chapel at the end (with a partition that was used for funerals). There was a smaller ward, with a large fireplace, for paying patients. These helped pay for the free care provided to the poor. The large infirmary  also had an amazingly colourful ceiling:

Infirmary ceiling & chapel

We then visited a gallery exhibiting private collection of Dali's art. Love or hate his work, it was worth seeing:

More strolling streets before we had a quiet drink enjoying people watching and deciding where to have dinner (big decision).  We had done a "recci" earlier, checking out menus & taking cards of restaurants which looked interesting. For tonight we decided on La Ciboulette, a little restaurant two blocks from our apartment. It has a 4/5 Michelin rating so thought we'd try our luck with no reservation. Wow! It was really something - we both had the terrine entrée, I had veal which was about 2cm thick & cooked perfectly and Peter had slow roasted baby duck, both accompanied by fresh vegies. For dessert Peter had crème brulee & I opted for a trio of glace (ice cream & sorbet). We sat next to two academics from Toronto, Canada, Jane Michelin (Education) and her husband, Bill (History). All in all, a very enjoyable evening.

 

We've booked a wine tour for tomorrow - hopefully a nice sunny day like today (although some rain is forecast!)